OPINION: Texas rural lands evaporating at alarming rate

By State Rep. Justin Holland
Every year, Texas loses nearly 250,000 acres of land to development. Rural working lands that make up the wide-open spaces definitive of the Texas character are evaporating at an alarming rate.
Not only are these lands meant to be enjoyed by Texans, but they work every day to provide the food we eat and the water we drink. I consider it our responsibility as Texans and custodians of this land to pass on a state where my great-great-grandchildren will be able to enjoy the Texas outdoors, parks, wildlife and nature. That’s why I am proud to introduce landmark legislation in the Texas House calling for the creation of the Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The fund is a once-in-a-generation opportunity afforded to us because of the excess in our state’s Rainy Day Fund. As my colleagues and I carefully consider important priorities like infrastructure investment, we must also make a meaningful and lasting investment in Texas lands and waters.
Our state continues to attract new people and new industry. We are blessed to have weathered tough times and continue to be one of the nation’s strongest economies and attractive places to do business. Our economic success comes in part because of the unique lands that make up Texas. I truly believe that our land is our greatest asset, and it cannot be replicated once it is lost.
We must take bold steps to preserve the landscape and culture that makes Texas a great place to live. Texas is home to 7 of the top 15 most rapidly growing cities in the country. Research also shows that 78% of Texas counties will not have sufficient parks in the coming decades.
Texas needs additional parks, open spaces and natural habitats to preserve our quality of life, provide food and fiber and clean water, and to support the multibillion-dollar agricultural and outdoor recreation economy.
The Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund would provide a significant, long-term state funding source for enhanced conservation efforts across the Lone Star State. The $2 billion investment can be dedicated as either a trust fund or an endowment.
It would provide grants for projects that support, enhance and protect state and local parks and recreation areas, working agricultural lands, water resources, wildlife habitat areas, and more. The fund could support the acquisition of land to expand state parks.
The bill provides base eligibility guidelines for funded projects and ensures that 50% of the funds go toward the conservation of agricultural lands, water resources and wildlife habitat, while the other 50% of the funds go toward state and local parks, wildlife management areas and other public access conservation projects.
The legislation would also establish a governing board for the fund led by a representative from the General Land Office and including others from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas Water Development Board.
More than 50 of the state’s leading land and water conservation, agricultural, wildlife and sportsmen’s organizations have formed the Texas Land and Water Conservation Coalition to support this effort. These groups represent thousands of Texans from all walks of life, connected by a desire to protect Texas for the next generation.
I am confident my fellow lawmakers will pass this important and historic measure and give Texas voters the opportunity to codify this investment with a constitutional amendment. We have a unique chance to fund meaningful land and water conservation that will echo for generations to come.
Justin Holland is a state representative from Rockwall. He wrote this for The Dallas Morning News.

Tid-Bits

During the early morning hours of Friday, March 3, officers responded to a fire at Willy’s Auto Value on Main St. Upon arrival the building was fully engulfed. The main building was a total loss. Thanks to the arduous work of the Lytle Vol. Fire Department, Bexar Co. E.S.D. #5 Fire Dept., the Natalia Vol. Fire Dept., and the Devine Vol. Fire & Rescue Dept. the adjoining business, Lytle Tire Shop, was saved from damage as was the nearby Pecan Grove Apartments. The firefighters did an outstanding job while faced with a large commercial building fire and wind gusts fueling the flames. Also assisting was the Lytle Public Works, CPS Energy, and the Bexar Co. Fire Marshal’s Office. We appreciate the help of our neighbors during this critical event. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
Music…. Yes, we are closing in on the 1st Annual Lytle Music Festival, March 24th and 25th are the dates you don’t want to miss. Some highlights are …. free admission, food trucks, vendors, and music. Set your sights on John Lott Park for a weekend to remember. Reach out to the city hall and the Chamber of Commerce for more information.
It’s Lytle Animal Control Indoor Yard Sale time! It will be this Saturday, March 11 at the Lytle Community Center (19031 Priest Blvd.). The event will run from 8 AM – 1 PM. Don’t buy into the lies that say you already have too much “stuff.” This is America, you can have as much “stuff” as you want, if that wasn’t the case you wouldn’t see these huge storage facilities being built everywhere. This event is for a worthy cause, and they always have some good things at reasonable prices.
We are currently accepting applications for two full-time Peace Officer positions. These are openings created by the retirement of Capt. Frank Reyes and Lt. Matthew Dear being appointed as the City Administrator. Applicants must already possess an active Texas Peace Officer License (already completed a police academy). The pay and benefits are good, and shift work isn’t that great (just being honest) but the Chief of Police is a groovy dude and usually only yells while singing along to 80s music.
The boys’ basketball team is headed to the state tournament, and they will play in the Alamo Dome on Thursday. What an impressive accomplishment. Our community is revved up!
I have my own basketball story to tell (or retell) as well (because I like talking about myself), it was 1984. I was in 8th grade at Allen Academy in Bryan (our campus is now a Federal Women’s Prison). Our team only had six players and I wasn’t a starter. We drove out in the country one day and played a little country school in Snook. They beat us 112 to 14, I think. Looking back now, they had a solid program with six consecutive 1A state championships from 1978-1984. That was the end of my athletic career.

Water line funds still in limbo,
Devine approves $99,711 for Shaver St.
Spends $885,000 on purchase of hangars

By Anton Riecher and Kathleen Calame
As of the Februrary 21st Devine Council meeting, there had still been no word from the Texas Water Development Board on payments. Raul Garcia, Jr. of Garcia and Wright Consulting Engineers updated the council on the status of negotiations with the TWD Board with regard to a $9.9 million loan to the city to replace aging asbestos-laden cement water lines, the lines that provide drinking water to the entire city.
Although some work is still continuing on the lines, the contractor will be asking for more payments soon.
The TWDB is refusing to fund the portion of the project that involves actual removal of the cement lines being replaced.However, not a penny has been spent on removal of the asbestos lines to date, Garcia said.
“We’ve made that very clear to the TWDB on multiple occasions,” he said.
The council had submitted a change order to the project that involves leaving the cement pipe in the ground, he said. However, no further developments have been forthcoming from the TWDB, Garcia said.
“Crickets is all we hear” said Garcia referring to the lack of communication from the Texas Water Development Board. “We have given them everything they have asked for.”
A 13 page breakdown of all the emails sent to the water board over the last 4-5 years since the start of the 2018 project was handed to the council during this discussion from Interim City Administrator Dora Rodriguez, noting she has given them everything asked for multiple times.
Councilman Josh Ritchey had asked where the city was on the funds, and how much was left out of the $1million emergency loan (borrowed last month, onJanuary 20, to pay the contractor 4 months of back pay). The question was never answered, only discussion about emails and no further communication.
AIRPORT HANGARS
In resolution of a long standing airport issue the council approved an $885,000 settlement agreement to acquire more than 21,800 square feet of hangar space. Three hangers (17,090 sq feet, 2,482 sq feet and one 2,284 sq feet) all currently owned by David Ehlinger, President of Aviation Fuels, Inc.
Cate told the council that based on advice from an outside firm hired by the city “this is the best course of action.”
“We were told by (Texas Department of Transportation) Aviation that we need to get control of the airport, we need to stop allowing people to have non-aviation activities there,” Cate said. “This is part of it.”
Devine sent Aviation Fuels an offer to purchase the hangers for $845,000 on November 2, 2022. Aviation Fuels agreed to Devine’s offer on November 4. Aviation Fuels shall vacate the hangars and relocate to another location by February 28, 2023, the relocation deadline.
Devine had signed a lease with Aviation Fuels on January 1, 2010 regarding the hangars.
The final settlement also includes nearly $40,000 in relocation funds for Aviation Fuels, Inc. Money to fund the purchase is from certificates of obligation issued in September 2021.
The council approved the agreement on a motion by Randall, seconded by Espinosa.
Cate also reported that two other hangars at the airport are up for sale.
SHAVER STREET PAVING PROJECT
Later, during consideration of awarding bids for the 2022 Shaver Project including street, water and sewer improvements Pichardo thanked Garcia.
“Thank you for your work,” Pichardo said. “We truly appreciate it. I did speak with you after the last meeting. Thank you so much. Again, we want what is in the best interest of the citizens so I appreciate the great work that you’ve done.”
On a motion by Randall, the council approved the $99,771 bid submitted by Aetos Construction, LLC from San Antonio for the Shaver project. The motion was seconded by Espinosa. The Aetos bid was the lowest of three submitted, ONO Contracting, Inc bid $108,001 and American Underground, LLC bid $162,064.
The project includes street excavation, compacted base, asphalt paving, 8-inch PVC sanitary sewer lines, manholes, 6-inch PVC water lines and six gate valves.
The Shaver Street Improvements are from Davis Street to Kempf Street using 100% local funds.
It was noted that the new city water lines have not been installed in the area of the Shaver Project yet.
City Administrator HW
Tension again surfaced between Devine City Council members on efforts to recruit applications for a permanent city administrator.
After bringing down the gavel to end a clash over dropping previous experience requirements from city administrator applicants Mayor Cory Thompson made his position clear.
“This is a great example of why they don’t want to come here,” Thompson said. “I’ve brought this up before. Anytime you put out negative we’re going to have trouble attracting people.”
The council voted in November to advertise in professional publications for a new city administrator. After less than four months in office, previous city administrator John Vidaurri resigned in October 2021, leaving city secretary Dora Rodriguez to once again serve on an interim basis as she had following the termination of Joe Ramos in June 2016 who had been there for six months.
Specifically, the city is asking for candidates with three to five years of experience as a city administrator or manager who also holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration, management or business.
District 4 Council Member Josh Ritchey made a motion Feb. 21 suggesting to drop the experience requirement.
Interim City Admin Dora Rodriguez asked, “Who is going to train them?” To which Ritchey replied, “The person doing the job right now”.
The motion, seconded by District 2 Council Member Angela Pichardo, failed in a 2-2 tie vote broken by Thompson in the absence of District 1 Council Member Rufino Vega.
To date, the city has received less than a dozen applicants for the position whereas previously the opening drew as many as 20 to 30 at one time.
“All of the other cities advertising at the same time have already found one, “ said Council Member Debbie Randall.
Rodriguez specifically faulted the Internet live streaming of council meetings as discouraging interest in the job.
Applicants who do their homework review these recordings before declaring their interest, she said.
Pending further applications, action on the search for a candidate was postponed for a future council session. District 3 Council Member David Espinosa added that in future “we need to conduct ourselves more professionally at the table.”
District 2 Council Member Angela Pichardo said she was in agreement with Espinosa’s statement.
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
A letter, read by the Mayor, submitted by Raul Garcia, Jr. of Garcia and Wright Consulting Engineers referred to remarks during the council’s Feb. 13 regular meeting on issues related to a $15 million bond election to fund a new massive drainage project that had just been brought to council that day and put to a vote.
“I got the impression that some council members were doubting my engineering abilities and those of my late father who was very passionate about his work with the City of Devine for much of the last 30 years,” Garcia wrote.
Garcia’s letter listed his qualifications from being a 1986 Texas A&M University graduate with bachelor’s degree in civil engineering to becoming a registered professional engineer in 1992, working for clients such as the City of San Antonio and San Antonio Water System.
“I do ask that if you, council, have any questions or concerns regarding the engineering design of any of the project I am working on for the City of Devine please let me know privately rather than in a council meeting setting,” Garcia said.
TEC
Also related to public works, Rodriguez reported that city workers lost nearly half a day dealing with a complaint filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality charging that city water had been contaminated during repairs to ground storage.
However, the only repair work being done was at another site – the Bain well that draws from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. Regardless, the TCEQ ordered samples for testing drawn from all elevated tanks.
Those samples tested as clean, Rodriguez said.
Wastewater service rejected
Council members voted to reject a request by Southwest Engineers, Inc., a civil engineering firm, to provide wastewater service to the proposed Agape Oaks residential development, located at the former site of the old Morales Feed Lot on I35 in Medina County.
Thompson noted that the entire development was miles beyond the city limits and well outside the established service area for city sewer. City Attorney Thomas Cate told the council that the request was a necessary step before the developer could pursue other funding.
Artist to paint Mural on CC Wall
On a motion by Ritchey seconded by Pichardo, the council voted to provide $1,500 for a mural on the rear of the city hall building. The council had approved the project at an earlier date but did not allocate funds for the work.
“I think this would be a long-term investment in promoting Devine,” Pichardo said.
Mayor Thompson said it had to be completed by April 1 so it would be available for the Art Walk.
Cindy Morales explained she had done as asked and found local artists interested but felt it was the city obligation to pay not the chamber since it was their wall. She agreed to contact the professional artist, Kirsten Schneider, and see if she could get the sketches of the mural to the council for approval, plus asked if Kirsten could meet the deadline set by the mayor.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Devine Chamber of Commerce President Cindy Morales was on hand also to present the results of another project to promote the city. The Chamber’s “Think Devine” logo has been expanded to read “Think, Shop, Dine Devine: Support the businesses that support your community.”
“We really wanted that in there because we have a really giving, wonderful community that gives and gives and gives to all our school districts and to our local organizations such as the non-profits,” Morales said.
Morales also presented new chamber vice president Liza Hill and secretary Brittany Sullivan-Ott to the council.
Bain Well property bid rejected
Fred and Regina Morales submitted a bid for $10,000 to buy the old Bain well property that the city wants to sell. Since the city had set the rules of the bid to a minimum of $24,000 the appraised value of the land at the recommendation of Councilman Randall, Attorney Cate confirmed they could not legally accept the bid.
Complete video coverage of the meeting is available on the Devine News YouTube channel at youtube/ridaiEj03VM.
Most council meetings are also on cityofdevine.org on the live council meeting tab at the top of their website.

Devine City Council pushes
$15 million bond and tax hike to voter’s choice, on a split vote 3-2

By Kathleen Calame
Publisher, The Devine News
The Devine City Council on a split vote of 3/2 will “push this and allow the public to vote” on a $15 Million Dollar Bond Election”, to do 4 drainage projects on their wish list.
Voting to put the bond on the ballot so quickly were council members David Espinosa, Debbie Randall and Flipper Vega with encouragement from Mayor Cory Thompson to put it to a vote, who stated “If people don’t want this they can vote it down.”
Council members Josh Ritchey and Angela Pichardo didn’t find the same urgency in the push to a vote to the public yet since very few details had been given to the council over the two weeks until literally a minute or two before the meeting when maps were given to them all. A Ritchey-Pichardo motion to table the bond election failed (2-3) after 24 minutes of discussion. Then a Espinosa-Randall motion to approve it passed (3-2) after a couple of more minutes of discussion (Ritchey and Pichardo voting against).
The Bond Election will be on the same ballot as the regular election on May 6 for three positions that are expiring: Mayor, District #2 held by Pichardo, and District #4 held by Randall.
The meeting started late at 6:09 pm. Council waited in their seats for the meeting to start as Mayor Thompson, Interim City Administrator Dora Rodriguez, and Attorney Tom Cate met behind closed doors before the meeting.
The majority of the discussion ensued over the adopting of an ordinance actually calling for a $15 Million Dollar Bond election.
First to speak was Councilman John Ritchey who read the a letter from a concerned taxpayer, Butch Cook a former councilmember and business owner, who recently announced his candidacy for Mayor.
Butch Cook was the only citizen to address council with concerns at the meeting, via a letter read by Councilman Josh Ritchey on Cook’s behalf since he couldn’t be there in person. His letter is as follows:
“I am not able to attend tonight’s meeting because of a previous commitment but I would like to comment as part of the Citizens Forum.
“First and foremost, I agree with all of the points Mayor Thompson posted on his Facebook page which essentially was a negative view on this drainage project – including the raising of taxes, what it will do to our future budget and any future projects. Even though he says he is not sure how he feels about this project, he went on to close his post by “Let the voters have a say in how the money is spent!!”
“It goes without saying that anytime this kind of money is to be spent by the City, it needs to be approved by the voters but the following needs to be considered:
“If this proposal is to be seriously considered and for a better representation of voters, it should be delayed until the November election. Two council seats and Mayor are to be decided on May 6 and it needs to be noted that in the previous Mayoral election in May of 2021, ONLY 436 CITIZENS VOTED!!! Clearly we can’t allow for less than 500 people to decide to spend 15 million plus the considerable interest that comes with it; however, I’m quite sure that substantially more will show up to vote on this bond proposal and it will be soundly defeated! If this is truly 15 million+ of importance it will be that much harder to pass a second time.
“From what I have read in the Devine News and the Mayor’s post, the impression is given that Council just had to do something significant and spend a boatload of money for some reason, and then choose between several options on a wish list. The available information is vague and could be confusing to some and before asking the citizens to vote there needs to be a complete and informative proposal. If delayed and moved to November it will allow for considerable debate and planning, which allows time to educate the voters; then it might have a slim chance to pass, but I doubt it.
“I personally wouldn’t even consider voting for it, until the current problems we already have are resolved: our drinking water, the water pipe project that is awaiting funding, and the storage tank that was built in the 50’s to name a few. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Butch Cook, Former Councilman and Local Business Owner”
Mayor Thompson replied with “Ok, so we have one “no vote” if it goes to election. But for council you though, you have the stuff here… stuff that was given to you from JR with a breakdown of everything in maps (as he rifles through the papers). Again as I point out these are things here that have been on the list of things to do for years if not decades.”
Ritchey questioned, “Why did we have to wait til the last minute to get these diagrams and stuff?
Thompson looked at Richey and replied, “That wouldn’t be a question for me…that would be for someone else.”
Ritchey said, “Well, I’m going to make a motion that we table this until March. So we can actually look at this (places his hand on the stack of papers) and talk to our constituency about it, because we have not had appropriate information until just now to really go around and take a look at these things.”
“I also have concerns about the channelization there of Burnt Boot Creek,” said Ritchey, “That much concrete and extra water being drained into it reduces the friction, and with that amount of water in addition to the volume there, plus no soak-in, it puts a whole lot more downstream to District 4. I see we do some channelization down there, I see where that is to Howell, but that is something I’d like to look at more.”
“I don’t like the strategy of keeping stuff close to the chest until we have to make a vote on it,” Ritchey added.
Thompson replied, “Well, I don’t know if that is what was done, you will have to ask JR.”
“Well we just received this stuff today,” stated Ritchey.
Next, Angela Pichardo addressed the council with her concerns, including navigable waterways and potential safety issues.
“Do we, shouldn’t we, be contacting the US Army Corp of Engineers to assist us so that way the other areas of the city are not flooded out such as District 4? If we are going to change the natural flow, ebb and flow, of the creek that is something we really need to consider. I think we really do need to do more research before agreeing on any kind of bond money or asking the taxpayers for it. Because we need to make sure safety is a priority,” said Pichardo.
Randall asked, “Are you saying our city engineer doesn’t know to..?
“No I didn’t say that.”
“Yes you did!”
“No I said more research is needed!”, Pichardo said.
“Couldn’t he have figured that out? Why would he need more research if he has already got the design?”, asked Randall.
Pichardo asked the City Engineer Raul Garcia Jr, “Has the Corp of Engineers been consulted? And state and local protocals implemented?”
Randall chimed in, “Why would he need to do that Angela?”
Garcia responded, “We use a program that is designed by the US Corps of Engineers to determine the back flow. It is an analysis to do a study to see how the water elevations are changed along the creek bed. Then you insert your design into that and it recalculates your numbers to see where the water is based on your new design. We know the elevation.”
“If we are going to move a lot of water from an area all the way to another area/district, what assurance do we have that in District 4 it is not going to flood out all those homes and projected homes P(on the other side of Hwy 173)?” Pichardo asked.
“That is why we do our calculations. Concrete reduces friction, doesn’t increase friction. Now we are increasing the width of the channel too, so that way the water elevation is going to come down and we are channelizing before it gets to the TXDot bridge right of way (at Hwy 173). The whole intention of this project is to keep the 100 year flood plain inside the channel. Our proposal is to put box culverts and hand rails at streets like Faye, so people can cross if they are going to be walking,” he said.
“I just don’t see why we are going to move all that water from district 5 into district 4 and all through town and why we haven’t received any documentation sooner,” said Pichardo.
Garcia replied, “This research was done many, many, many, many years ago. This has been around for quite awhile.” (Garcia’s father Raul had worked on this years ago when he was the city’s engineer.)
Ritchey commented, “I appreciate the stuff. It does help make a little more of an informed decision. I just feel like we are being rushed to it.”
Rodriguez mentioned, “Denise just went to make the copies (right before the meeting) because he (Garcia) just brought it to us when he got here today.
Espinosa asked Garcia, “If we table this will anything change from here to November?”
“Nothing changes”, he replied.
The Mayor pointed out that Espinosa had been around for 20 years listening to the discussions, at least twice a year.
Ritchey commented, “JR said in the last meeting it would just fill with sand if we don’t do streets and curbs at the same time. I cannot get behind something that is going to put us two decades in the hole and might be defunct in 5 to 10 years.”
Ritchey suggested he could’ve been done this in segments rather than all together and the voters could have chosen what they want instead of all four or none.
See more on this meeting next week, and financing options.
Bottom line the voters will get to decide on May 6 if they want to fund these projects which will raise property tax bills, and max out the ability to go for further bonds for the next 20 years for street repairs or street construction and/or any needs or wants.
There will be public hearing with public forums coming up during the next few months. The council can learn about the projects at the same time as the citizens if details accompany the presentations.
Fred Morales was the only citizen present during the meeting other than the press, the council, city employees, city engineer, and the presenter from SAMCO Capital.
The meeting can be viewed under Live Council Meeting on City of Devine’s website.

1,031 students set to participate in 82nd Medina County Jr. Livestock Show

Look at that smile! Submit your kiddo’s photos for next week.

The Medina County Jr. Livestock Show is coming up, and they are excited to announce there will be two new sales this year added to the schedule—a yearling colt sale and a youth showcase competition and silent auction.
The Yearling Colt Sale will be held at 1 pm on Friday, January 27. The Colt event consists of several areas of competition for the horse and student exhibitors. These colts have been owned and worked with by the exhibitors for the past 10 months; getting them saddle-ready, gentled, and ready for ranch work. All are registered quarter horses and 10 will be shown and sold.
The Youth Showcase consists of competitions in baking, canned goods, art, sewing and photography. Winning items will be sold in silent auction on January 28.
The Commercial Heifer Sale will be held on Friday, January 27 at 5 pm.
The premium sale will be Saturday, January 28 at 11 am. A Silent Auction Youth Home and Art Project event will be ongoing with sales from 10am-2 pm on Saturday.
*All show events are open to the public free of charge. *Buyers at the premium auction who wish to enter the Buyer’s Corral and hospitality area must commit to donating a total of $500 premium auction exhibitors *Colt sale, Commercial heifer sale, Premium auction, and Youth Showcase Silent Auction are all separate sales

Karis Jackson
Emma Coyle
Cool dudes…Jacob Frazier & his sheep Chief
Ronnie Ortiz
Kade Barber & Hannah Coyle

Eads to help lead DHS as assistant vice principal

The hiring of Evan Eads as
the new high school assistant
principal was unanimously
approved by the board.

By Anton Riecher

A $72,875 bid to repair damage at Devine Middle School from a water leak was approved by a unanimous vote during the Dec. 12 meeting of the district school board.

In late August staff discovered a leak in science classroom 101 and 103 coming from the “casework,” i.e., cabinets, drawers or bookcases, a report presented to the board states.

“It was determined after shutting down the supply valves that there was a leak on the pressure drain side,” the report states. “A temporary reroute of HVAC condensate lines was performed and the custodial staff has to empty the condensate water from a trash can twice daily.”

Of the three requests made for bids, AB Construction was the only company to submit a proposal for the repair work planned during the holiday break.

A motion by Carl Brown to approve the bid was seconded by Henry Moreno.

In other action, the board approved payment of $50,458 to the architectural firm KNRG for developing plans and specifications to repair or replace school district roof damage due to hail. KNRG also provided construction administration for the project.

The invoice submitted by KNRG was approved by Darren VanFossen, director of operations for the district custodial staff. The motion by Henry Moreno, seconded by Keri James, was approved by a 7-0 vote of the board.

In another unanimous vote, the board voted to approve the National Incident Management System (NIMS) for use in the district’s planning and response to emergencies. NIMS provides a shared vocabulary, systems and processes to unify various agencies involved.

NIMS “guides all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from incidents,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency states.

Texas has adopted NIMS for its planning and response to emergencies and it asks that schools formally adopt it for the same purpose, a report to the board by assistant superintendent Daryl W. Wendel states. The Devine ISD formally adopted an emergency operations plan in keeping with NIMS in August.

The motion by Davis was seconded by Brown.

Under its consent agenda, the board turned to the Medina County Health Department to fill three open seats for community members on the district’s Student Health Advisory Committee.

Rhonda Brast, Iris Hernandez and Virginia Gonzales, all employed by the health department, were appointed to the committee. Janette Vosquez, also belonging to the health department, was named to the committee as a school representative.

The committee assists the district in “ensuring that local community values and health issues are reflected in the district’s health education instruction,” a letter to the board from Dawn Schneider, director of student services, states.

Devine ISD SHAC by-laws call for members to serve a two-year term.

Other school representatives appointed include Greg Jackson with food services, Jodi Dzierzanowski, principal of the disciplinary alternative education program; teachers Kara Navarro and Patricia Taitanio.

Also included in the consent agenda was approval of a donation for $2,500 to the Devine ISD Arabian softball team by Storm Oilfield Service for the purchase of uniforms. Also approved was a donation of $1,500 by Brown Chevrolet to support Devine High School’s tennis program and $1,164 from the Devine Athletic Booster Club for netting at the Warhorse baseball field.

The board also approved a donation of $4,000 from the Devine Education Foundation to pay registration fees for the Devine ISD robotics team to compete in the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition in the spring.

On a motion by Brown, seconded by Chris Davis, the consent agenda was approved 7-0.

The hiring of Evan Eads as the new high school assistant principal was also unanimously approved by the board. Eads presently serves as head coach for the Warhorse basketball team. Also approved on recommendation of Superintendent Todd Grandjean was the hiring of Lee Crisp as a “differentiated monitoring and support” teacher.

Both personnel actions were approved on a motion by Brown, seconded by Moreno.

Board members voted to revise the administrative professional pay plan for 2022-2023 to move the librarian position from pay grade two to pay grade three as per the salary review conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards. The change increases the pay for that position.

The board approved renewing its annual retainer of $1,000 to the law firm of Walsh, Gallegos, Trevino, Kyle & Robinson, specialists in public education.

“The District has used this firm for the past several years and has been very pleased with their services,” a letter submitted to the board by district director of finance Shannon Ramirez states.

The retainer covers telephone consultation on day-to-day general and special education matters and reduced rates for legal work and other services. It also includes web-based products such as providing codes of conduct governing students and extracurricular activities.

Family Trip

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Edition of my weekly report. Lytle PD Officers handled 49 calls for service last week and conducted 58 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 52 citations and 6 warnings.
We do not have much to report on last week, no arrests and only two calls that might qualify as property crimes. #1 – H.E.B. reported a forged check for $206 and the H.E.B. C-Store reported that someone hit the ice machine with their vehicle and took off. If we can remain at that level through the holidays, I will be one happy fellow.
It is with great joy and sadness that I announce the retirement of Capt. Frank J. Reyes. Frank began his service with the Lytle Police Dept. on July 7. 1998! He has served as my second-in-command for over 23 years and has done an outstanding job. There is no way to do his service justice by simply writing a few lines. He will always be part of our family; he will still be around …. just wearing a uniform of brown. He has assured me he will still be available if I have a question, he was our “go to guy” for case law. But I think he told some of the other guys he was going to change his number! That’s okay, I know where he lives. Nothing lasts forever and we knew this day would come, Frank has earned his pension and will now start working on another one. He has accepted a position with the Atascosa Co. Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy Sheriff in the Courthouse Security Division. So, if you have jury duty or on trial for something be sure and say hello to him.
Lt. Dear completed his probation and the “interim” has been removed from his title as City Administrator. He will remain commissioned as a Peace Officer and will assist us as needed both as the Asst. Fire Marshal and as a Police Lieutenant. I’m sure he will enjoy some occasional police work to relieve the stress of being at city hall all day.
With Capt. Reyes retiring I decided I better sneak in a family trip. We packed up the family, my wife and I with 4 kids ranging in age from 17 years to 15 months and headed off. Our first stop was in Bells (TX) to see my brother Chance and his family. He showed us around his factory where he makes action figures that go with his comic book line. He showed us how they make the molds, then the figures and finally they are hand painted. His imagination is about like mine, but he uses his to make money and I use mine just to pass the time and annoy people.
More important information / Traffic Related: Starting on Nov. 29th, the I-35 North exit ramp to Lytle (exit 131) will be closed for one week. Drivers should use the Natalia (FM 471) exit ramp (exit 127) then follow the frontage road northbound for about four miles to Benton City Road (FM 3175). In addition to the Lytle exit ramp, the southbound frontage road will be closed between FM 3175 and a quarter of a mile south of FM 3175 for the same one-week period.
We then headed off to Eureka Springs (Arkansas) for a 4-night stay. We made it in right before the snow hit! It was cold but we had a good time, we shopped downtown (Tee Rex Vintage Toys is always a cool place) and visited a lot of good places to eat, try Red’s Pizzeria on Main St. We made a day trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson, as far as theme parks go this place is the best in my opinion. We visited two caves as well. On the way home we made a stop at the Pea Ridge Battlefield. We had been there before but never with snow on the ground. After 6 nights on the road, we sure were glad to be back home. There is no telling how much weight I gained; my new uniform may be sweatpants and a hoodie.
Special Notice for City of Lytle Residential Garbage Customers
Garbage will not be picked up on Thursday due to the holiday, it will be picked up on Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our month of November is well over half finished, as is our year. We are at the point where there is only around forty days until we begin a new year. This year has definitely been better than 2020 and 2021. We are still having outbreaks of the virus here and there, but not too much where I am. In fact the last few times I’ve delivered papers to the patients, I’ve been told I could go to all rooms. While the pandemic was going on, the papers were delivered to the nurses’ station and they took care of it for us. Last year, there were several times that I could go to the rooms on one hall, but not the other. Thanks to the Lord for taking care of all of us, and sympathy and prayers to the families of those who were not so lucky.
Let us give thanks…for our families; our friends; our homes; our schools and their teachers; our churches and synagogues where we worship freely; for the service men and women who are so far away from home this Thanksgiving, trying to keep our country free for us; for the fact that we live in a country that is still free; and last but by no means least; that we have lived to celebrate another Thanksgiving. For many of us, there will be faces missing around the table this year due to the Lord calling them home, or because they are serving our country in another lands. We are thankful that He gives us the strength to go on with our lives even though it is difficult.
Just as He is the “reason for the season,” at Christmas, THANKS is the first word in the name of the feast we are celebrating today.
For some of you, Thanksgiving is a fond memory, for many of you, who were able to get your paper on Wednesday; you still have to face it! I have a certain amount of my stuff done due to the fact that I will be heading to Devine early on Wednesday to be with my family. The cornbread is made for the dressing and the bread is torn up and drying a bit. All the ingredients are gathered together for my sweet potatoes and apple casserole, as are the ingredients for the pies I will be making.
Here are a few more recipes that can even be prepared on Thursday morning if necessary.
Broccoli Casserole
2 or 3 bunches fresh broccoli
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
½ of a small bell pepper, diced
¼ to ½ cup butter or margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup*
1 can cheddar cheese soup
2 cups cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean broccoli, cut into flowerets, peel and slice stems thinly. Parboil broccoli, drain and rinse with cold water to help retain the color. Sauté onion, celery and bell pepper in butter or margarine until onion is transparent. Mix together the two soups, add the broccoli and rice and mix together. Pour into 9×12 pan, top with grated cheese if desired. Bake at 350ºF for 35 to 45 minutes.
Jo’s Cherry Delight
1 can lite cherry pie filling
1 can (8-oz) crushed pineapple in juice
1 can low-fat condensed milk (not evaporated!)
12-oz carton whipped topping, thawed
Mix all ingredients together and chill before serving. Weight watchers – 2 points per 1/2 cup.
Mrs. Haass’ Pink Stuff (This recipe is in memory of Mrs. August Haass. She used to bring it to our Christian Mother’s Christmas Luncheon)
1 can (20-oz) cherry pie filling
1 can (20-oz) crushed pineapple in juice
1 can Angel Flake coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 can condensed milk (not evaporated!)
1 carton (8-oz) whipped topping, thawed
Mix all together and chill before serving.
Cornbread
1½ cups cornmeal
½ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
¼ cup oil or melted shortening
Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. Mix together egg, milk and shortening, add to dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into lightly greased 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan and bake until golden brown. Cool before using.
You can make this several days ahead of time, and when it is cook break it up and store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Cornbread Dressing
4½ cups crumbled corn bread
2½ cups day old French bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 medium chopped onion
1½ cups chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped parsley
½ cup butter or margarine
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 cups broth or milk*
(Turkey giblets and neck, or 1 pack chicken giblets and hearts, or ½ pound ground meat or pan sausage optional)
Boil giblets, etc., until done. Chop or grind and set aside. If using ground meat or pan sausage, cook well in skillet until nicely browned, drain well and set aside.
Make corn bread (if desired) to your favorite recipe, (or use one or two of the packages that need milk and eggs added to them) and bake according to directions in an 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan. This can be done several days ahead of time. When cool, crumble and place in bowl in fridge.
Allow bread to dry out slightly, crumble and add to cornbread. Add giblets or meat (if used) Sauté onions and celery in margarine until tender. Add to cornbread mixture. Add parsley and seasonings. Add beaten eggs and broth and mix well. If it does not seem moist enough, add more broth or milk. Place in baking pan and bake at 350ºF until golden brown and set. If it looks dry while baking, add more broth or milk. Canned chicken or vegetable broth can be used if you want to save the broth from cooking the giblets for your gravy. *If you use canned broth, be careful not to use too much salt in the dressing as the broth is already salted.

Invasion clause invoked by Abbott to combat illegal immigration at the border

The Texas Military Department plans to send M113s like this one to the Texas-Mexico border, according to a report by The Texas Tribune this week. Credit: Sgt. Matthew Lucibello/U.S. Army National Guard, 130th Public Affairs Detachment.

By Anton Riecher
In a letter to Texas county judges Gov. Greg Abbott explained his post-election executive order that invokes the so-called “invasion clause” of the U.S. and Texas constitutions to authorize stepped-up border enforcement to curtail illegal immigration.
Medina County Judge Chris Schuchart reported during the Nov. 17 meeting of the commissioners’ court on the letter sent to him. He also reported on letters sent to Department of Public Safety Director Steven C McCraw and Major General Thomas M. Suelzer of the Texas Military Department.
“All of these letters basically say that our governor is not happy with anything going on at the border,” he said. “Our president has failed us in trying to support the border.”
Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 in a joint effort between the National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to combat illegal immigration and crime at the border.
In his letter to the county judges, Abbott said that just two years ago the state had the fewest illegal crossings in decades.
“This past year under President Biden, an all-time record was set for the number of immigrants crossing the border illegally,” Abbott said.
In July, Abbott issued an executive order invoking the invasion clause found in the U.S. and Texas constitutions “to fully authorize Texas to take unprecedented measures to fight back against the invasion of our border.”
Use of the word “invasion” caused political friction in Medina County earlier this fall. More than 30 Texas counties approving “declarations of invasion” to push for federal help against increased border crossings, smuggling operations and drug trafficking.
However, Medina County approved a resolution supporting Abbott’s efforts at the border without the word “invasion.” At the root of the local impasse was the definition of the word as accepted by U.S. Courts, Schuchart said.
“The Supreme Court has never overruled three federal appellate courts who say an invasion is not illegal immigrants coming across,” he said. “We all agree we have a huge problem but it doesn’t fit the definition of an invasion.”
The letter to the county judges pledged to deploy the National Guard to safeguard the border and repel immigrants trying to cross illegally. It also pledged to deploy the DPS to arrest and return immigrants who crossed illegally.
In his letter, Abbott said he would build a border wall in multiple counties, deploy gun boats and designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
“Texas had devoted more than $4 billion of Texas taxpayer dollars toward these and other efforts to secure the border and enhance public safety,” Abbott wrote. The letter calls on Congress to reimburse Texas for the money spent on border protection.
Schuchart said he spoke to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management that morning about the letters issued by Abbott.
“His biggest road block is still the fact that the federal government controls the border, and unless he wants to start a civil war with the federal government, we are still going to be stuck with the same problems,” he said. “Maybe he can deter some of them.”

Local contested races…
Tax freeze put to Medina voters, County Judge race for Atascosa voters

This is a sample of the Tax Freeze proposition that is up to the voters of Medina County.

Medina County voters will get a chance to vote on the proposition for an ad valorem tax freeze for homesteads of an individual over 65 years of age.
Voting Underway…Locations and Times are inside.

Contested local races on Medina County ballot
County Commissioner, Pct 4.
Daniel Lawler (REP)
Loyd Richeson (DEM)

County Commissioner, Pct. 2
Larry Sittre (REP) incumbent
Van Johnson (DEM)

Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1
Phillip M Lange (REP)
Dan Young (DEM)

Contested local races on Atascosa County ballot
Atascosa County Judge
Weldon P. Cude- Rep
Dustin Delgado- Dem
County Commissioner Pct 2
Mark Bowen – Rep
Vickie Eckert- Dem

Justice of Peace, Pct. 1
Felix Herrera III- Rep
Charles Urbina Jones- Dem
Justice of Peace, Pct. 3
Willie Leal Jr- Rep
Orlando Carrasco-Dem

STATE RACES
There are many state races including a contested Governor race as well as US Representative for District 23. Sample ballots include the following candidates for our area:

US Rep for District 23
Tony Gonzales (REP) incumbent
John Lira (DEM)
Frank Lopez Jr (IND)

Governor
Greg Abbott (REP) incumbent
Beto O’Rouke (DEM)
Mark Tippetts (LIB)
Delilah Barrios (GRN)
These are just a few of the state races. See full Sample Ballots on the county Elections website.